Ryo Shimazaki 

Hi my name is Ryo Shimazaki. I am from Kawasaki, Japan, which is located 20 minutes from Tokyo. I was part of the ELP program which provided a lot of opportunities for me to improve my English skills such as speaking, listening, and writing.

I would say the first goal of my life was to be a professional soccer player which I’ve dreamed of since I was very young. Before I graduated from high school, I decided to travel to the U.S. just because I wanted to do something different than other people. The year before I came to the ELP, I actually visited the VCU soccer team and reminded me that I needed to better my communication skills in order to be a part of the team. I remembered the VCU Soccer team talked a lot about things that happened on the field.

They kept trying to make language adjustments since I could not be involved when I visited the soccer team for the first time. I was so frustrated because I couldn’t say things that I wanted to say to them that I could tell my teammates in Japan. The ELP provided me the opportunity to improve many aspects of my English ability.

In my case, I obviously needed to get better at communication skills to get to talk with people. The ELP provided a speaking class which focused on our speaking skills, such as how to present with attractive communication and even how to make proper accents.

The Education at the ELP made me much more confident with my communication on the soccer field, in the classroom, and also with my great teammates. I don’t know if I can say right now that the ELP was extremely influential because I am still on my journey to accomplish my goal, but one day I hope I can say that the ELP was one of the main pillars behind my success.